The entire Ohio House and half the Senate are on the ballot this year – along with all members of Congress and the president. Controversial ideas that can motivate ideological voters – so-called wedge issues – are now coming up in proposed legislation.
Republican-backed bills to prevent doctors from using telemedicine in medication abortions, to ban treatment for transgender minors who want to transition and to keep trans girls and women from female-only school sports were all supported by the conservative Christian group Citizens for Community Values. Spokesman Barry Sheets says everything is a wedge issue now.
“It doesn’t matter what the issue is, some group might use it in order to try to generate support for what they’re doing. And that’s fine. But we’re in the business of trying to make good policy that protects the vast majority of the people of Ohio from things that are going to be harmful to them,” Sheets said.
On the other side, a pair of Democrats have a bill that would require presidential candidates to submit tax returns for publication on the secretary of state’s website. But a Democrat-sponsored bill to ban conversion therapy for minors has bipartisan support.
